SEPANG, Malaysia – Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez won the Malaysian Grand Prix on Nov 1 for the first time since 2018, to take a 44-point lead over injured title rival Jorge Martin in the championship.

The 33-year-old shot out of the block and beat his younger brother Alex, the pole-sitter, into the opening turn. Alex was able to quickly regain the lead but ran wide a turn later to hand it back, and Marc did not make any mistakes from that point on.

Victory moved the seven-time MotoGP champion up to 399 points in the championship standings, 44 ahead of fellow Spaniard and 2024 champion Martin, who did not compete after fracturing his wrist the previous week.

If Marquez is able to extend his lead to 74 points at next week’s Qatar Grand Prix, he can seal an eighth championship with two rounds remaining in the season.

“We did a perfect race, so I’m super, super happy,” said Marquez, who won the race by a commanding margin of over four seconds.

“But my mentality still cannot change. I have to keep focus, keep pushing. There are not many races to go, but there are many moments left. So, we must be super confident.”

The Oct 31 sprint winner Pedro Acosta of KTM finished second, while Gresini’s Alex was third.

After losing the lead to his brother, Alex Marquez was drawn into a duel with Acosta, who stuck to the wheel of the Gresini rider for several laps before expertly overtaking him at the midway point of the race.

By then, however, the distance to the leader had already grown too large to overcome.

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi, an outside contender for the title, finished sixth after being overtaken late by both Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura and Tech3’s Enea Bastianini.

Martin absent

Marquez’s main title rival Martin had initially looked set to return in Malaysia and briefly attempted to compete in the Oct 31 morning’s practice session.

However, the Aprilia rider was visibly struggling and eventually did not take part in qualifying, ending his weekend to continue his recovery from the fracture he sustained in the sprint race crash at Phillip Island last week.

The Spaniard, who won the title in 2024, conceded that his MotoGP title challenge was effectively over after his withdrawal. The race on Oct 25 was eventually called off due to heavy rain, ruining the farewell for one of the championship’s most beloved circuits.

The MotoGP season next moves to the Lusail International Circuit for the Qatar Grand Prix, which is set to go ahead next week despite pushback from riders concerned about going there during the US-Israel war against Iran. REUTERS